Read somewhere that it is good to recall some things that you are grateful for at the end of each day (minimum 1, but if possible 5), and although it is not the end of the day I will start making a list for today's good moments to try to send out some positive vibes in the world instead of my normal negative views (although our assistant is still driving me crazy ;).
So here we go. Today I'm grateful for:
* my mother - as every day, the fact that she is always there for me no matter the subject, important ones or small stupid ones like the recipe I asked for yesterday and she provided with a smile today
* wakening up in the arms of someone I feel so good with, and having the right to fall asleep in those arms in the evenings, to lie down next to him and just feel all the tension of the day disappear
* not to have to worry about one thing anymore
* asking for help from friends and receiving it with a smile - thank you!
* my job - yes strangely enough for once I am ;)
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Monday, 6 October 2008
constant mumbling....
Monday afternoon (I first wrote morning so you can understand my state of mind, I’m still trying to wake up and get back into working mood) only and I'm already getting irritated with my new colleague's bad mumbling habit. She is, in fact, constantly speaking or mumbling, probably about 80% of the day.
If it drives me crazy? Guess!
If it makes it just a tiny bit difficult to concentrate on anything of value? Of course not... I like having my thoughts interrupted every 2 minutes ;)
The mumbling part is almost ok as I can block it out with my ipod when I need to concentrate. But the constant talking part, the 'oops, did I disturb you, I did not see that you were listening to music', followed by me explaining that I do this when I really need to concentrate, followed by another break-in 5 minutes later. To ask about something work-related you imagine... incorrect!!! To bla bla bla about something. Inconsiderate is just her first name... and she is here for a 6 months replacement, sitting right opposite me. Is she the person that will finally drive me to change jobs?
How long would you go before you told her off? I don't want to create a bad feeling at work, but if a person does not understand subtle and not-so-subtle hints, there must come a moment when you have to sit down and ask her to kindly let you alone. No? As it is, I can really only concentrate after 17h when she leaves for the day, to be disturbed again at 18h when the cleaners come... Maybe if it continues like this I will get fired for not producing anything and won't have to worry anymore about mumbling and talking colleagues ;)
If it drives me crazy? Guess!
If it makes it just a tiny bit difficult to concentrate on anything of value? Of course not... I like having my thoughts interrupted every 2 minutes ;)
The mumbling part is almost ok as I can block it out with my ipod when I need to concentrate. But the constant talking part, the 'oops, did I disturb you, I did not see that you were listening to music', followed by me explaining that I do this when I really need to concentrate, followed by another break-in 5 minutes later. To ask about something work-related you imagine... incorrect!!! To bla bla bla about something. Inconsiderate is just her first name... and she is here for a 6 months replacement, sitting right opposite me. Is she the person that will finally drive me to change jobs?
How long would you go before you told her off? I don't want to create a bad feeling at work, but if a person does not understand subtle and not-so-subtle hints, there must come a moment when you have to sit down and ask her to kindly let you alone. No? As it is, I can really only concentrate after 17h when she leaves for the day, to be disturbed again at 18h when the cleaners come... Maybe if it continues like this I will get fired for not producing anything and won't have to worry anymore about mumbling and talking colleagues ;)
Thursday, 2 October 2008
good night, and good luck
A few nights ago I watched Clooney's movie Good Night, and Good Luck - a bit late perhaps considering that it came out in 2005 but still very interesting. If you haven't seen it, do so as it will remind you of the red scare hunt in the US in the 50s under Senator McCarthy's insane reign. And for a historian like me, who loves to make correlations between old insanities and more current ones (and other things than insanities of course), this communist hunt in the 50s reminds me a lot of the similar hunt on anyone that might be a terrorist in the US following 9/11.
In a book I just finished on a completely different subject, was mentioned the story of this man from Bali who had been living in the US for years without problems, was married to an American woman since a while back but hadn't come around to apply for a regulation of his situation - hence the marriage was for love and not to get the right to stay. Following 9/11 and the fright for anything Muslim or anyone from a Muslim country in the US, all people from certain countries including Indonesia were asked to go and register with the authorities. And this Christian man from Bali followed this decree and went with his wife. He was called back for an individual meeting in the afternoon, and asked to neither bring his wife nor a lawyer, and in a naive stupid way he followed the order - just to be sent off to a camp without any news to anyone about his whereabouts (his wife only managed to track him down after several days). He was kept there for some months and then shipped off back to Indonesia with his hopes of ever being allowed back to the US close to a minimum - although being married with an American! His crime? Being born in Indonesia and therefore was accorded no trial, no lawyers and not even the right to inform.
Witch hunts seem to come and go, only the subjects of imagined terror changes.
In a book I just finished on a completely different subject, was mentioned the story of this man from Bali who had been living in the US for years without problems, was married to an American woman since a while back but hadn't come around to apply for a regulation of his situation - hence the marriage was for love and not to get the right to stay. Following 9/11 and the fright for anything Muslim or anyone from a Muslim country in the US, all people from certain countries including Indonesia were asked to go and register with the authorities. And this Christian man from Bali followed this decree and went with his wife. He was called back for an individual meeting in the afternoon, and asked to neither bring his wife nor a lawyer, and in a naive stupid way he followed the order - just to be sent off to a camp without any news to anyone about his whereabouts (his wife only managed to track him down after several days). He was kept there for some months and then shipped off back to Indonesia with his hopes of ever being allowed back to the US close to a minimum - although being married with an American! His crime? Being born in Indonesia and therefore was accorded no trial, no lawyers and not even the right to inform.
Witch hunts seem to come and go, only the subjects of imagined terror changes.
Thursday, 25 September 2008
ToT Groningen
My first training course where I went as a participant rather than as the organiser, was a train the trainer's course in Groningen, NL. It was nice to go, both because it means that my boss finally seems to take some interest in providing me with more experience and hence a chance of actually doing some more interesting work and to get somewhere at work, and because I was curious to be in receiving end again. On top of it, I was, as always, excited about seing a new place. Especially since Groningen is a city I would most probably never visit on my own choice. This is something I really like with my work - the fact that it has taken me to places like Skopje, Podgorica, Zagreb, Belgrade, Garmish-Partenkirchen and now Groningen - all places I would probably never think of going to on my own. Well, exception perhaps of Zagreb and Belgrade.
The ToT course went well. There were 11 participants and 2 trainers for a 2.5 days of extremely stuffed schedule, leaving me with a headache at the end which it took me more than 3 days to get rid off (and I hardly ever get headaches!). I learned a lot - both about training but also about myself. Before going I was quite worried about the first day when we had to hold presentations/trainings with the group - something I had never done before (outside of Uni) and which I wasn't that sure that I was able to do.... However, I realised after a few hours that 1) I did indeed manage to hold a training, and with people who some of them were quite experienced trainers already; 2) and that I did it quite well :))
It is always nice with a self-esteem boost :)
As already mentioned, I did manage to find some time on the second evening to walk around first in the city and then in an outdoor festival that was on that week in a park and where there was a mixture of organised concerts, spontaneous small ones, small theatre shows, different kinds of food and all other kind of happenings. I tried to local specilities, although I have forgotten the names now. The first is a kind of tiny pancakes that pop out of the wholes on the first picture - really yummy. The second was ordinary vanilla ice-cream served in a different way between two thin pieces of waffle - this ice-cream was pushed out of plastic tubes that reminded me of sausages... but it was nice was well. Or perhaps this was due to the sugar overload that night ;)
Local food stuff and happenings in pictures:
Other Groningen pics:
The ToT course went well. There were 11 participants and 2 trainers for a 2.5 days of extremely stuffed schedule, leaving me with a headache at the end which it took me more than 3 days to get rid off (and I hardly ever get headaches!). I learned a lot - both about training but also about myself. Before going I was quite worried about the first day when we had to hold presentations/trainings with the group - something I had never done before (outside of Uni) and which I wasn't that sure that I was able to do.... However, I realised after a few hours that 1) I did indeed manage to hold a training, and with people who some of them were quite experienced trainers already; 2) and that I did it quite well :))
It is always nice with a self-esteem boost :)
As already mentioned, I did manage to find some time on the second evening to walk around first in the city and then in an outdoor festival that was on that week in a park and where there was a mixture of organised concerts, spontaneous small ones, small theatre shows, different kinds of food and all other kind of happenings. I tried to local specilities, although I have forgotten the names now. The first is a kind of tiny pancakes that pop out of the wholes on the first picture - really yummy. The second was ordinary vanilla ice-cream served in a different way between two thin pieces of waffle - this ice-cream was pushed out of plastic tubes that reminded me of sausages... but it was nice was well. Or perhaps this was due to the sugar overload that night ;)
Local food stuff and happenings in pictures:
Other Groningen pics:
Me a globetrotter?
Well although I still haven't set out on my trip around the world (when will this ever happen, when will I manage to put enough money aside to leave, to forget everything and just take off?) this summer I have still been a bit of a globetrotter, if I can say so myself.
Following on a visit to Stockholm as usual during the summer to spend some time with family and friends, and a few weeks back at work in Geneva, I took off for an approximate month of travelling to more or less new places. First on the list was a 3 days visit to Groningen in the North of the Netherlands - the Northern Capital if they may say so themselves. This was a nice and interesting stay, but an exhausting one as I was there for a Train the trainers’ course. Although we spent most of the time with the group, I did have time to walk around a bit on the second night and to see not only the city but also an outdoor festival that was going on that week which was a real nice change to the classroom.
From Groningen, via a train ride to Amsterdam, I then directly flew down to Lisbon to meet up with my love for a day in the city before we took off to the South of Portugal where I had never been before for a 5-day beach-jumping event :), finishing by one day back in the centre for a crab-eating yummy lunch a bit north of Sintra and then back to Geneva for a few days. Although I did not travel myself during a few days, my friend M who lives in Zambia was visiting at this time so my mind went travelling a bit more following all her stories and pictures of her life over there. My friend J who is finishing her position in Angola was visiting just before I went off to Groningen and took me for another Africa mind-travelling event at that time.
And then suddenly, before I had time to unpack my bags really, I realised it was time to pack and leave for 11 days of Paris followed by Beijing. Took the afternoon TGV to Paris to spend two nights and days visiting V who has been living there since April. A great time going for dinner with her in les Marais, walking around together and then by myself, and doing Paris both by day and night before heading off to Charles de Gaulle airport to meet up with my mum, aunt and 3 cousins for a flight to Beijing!! This was the most exotic and exiting trip of the year, although the one to Portugal bestows as many memories. Beijing was just great!! The people nice, the food mostly good, the possibility to see all those things I'd only read about before thrilling - the closest trip to a real world trip that I have made in years.
And do you think this scared me off a future life as a globetrotter? well, except for the huge cockroach we saw in the last evening which scared me off going back for a swim in the hotel's pool although it was the last night so not possible anyway, the answer is a clear big NO! If anything I long even more to pick up my bags and leave!!! Seeing a little bit more of the world only increased my hunger - so the world, watch out, because soon I'll come for real :)) In the meantime I'll continue to enjoy a few more shorter trips to make me survive some more months of work. Next stop Barca to see my dear A, and then a romantic weekend in Budapest.
Although to enable my dream to come true I should probably stop doing all these shorter trips and start saving for the big thing.... soon soon soon...
Following on a visit to Stockholm as usual during the summer to spend some time with family and friends, and a few weeks back at work in Geneva, I took off for an approximate month of travelling to more or less new places. First on the list was a 3 days visit to Groningen in the North of the Netherlands - the Northern Capital if they may say so themselves. This was a nice and interesting stay, but an exhausting one as I was there for a Train the trainers’ course. Although we spent most of the time with the group, I did have time to walk around a bit on the second night and to see not only the city but also an outdoor festival that was going on that week which was a real nice change to the classroom.
From Groningen, via a train ride to Amsterdam, I then directly flew down to Lisbon to meet up with my love for a day in the city before we took off to the South of Portugal where I had never been before for a 5-day beach-jumping event :), finishing by one day back in the centre for a crab-eating yummy lunch a bit north of Sintra and then back to Geneva for a few days. Although I did not travel myself during a few days, my friend M who lives in Zambia was visiting at this time so my mind went travelling a bit more following all her stories and pictures of her life over there. My friend J who is finishing her position in Angola was visiting just before I went off to Groningen and took me for another Africa mind-travelling event at that time.
And then suddenly, before I had time to unpack my bags really, I realised it was time to pack and leave for 11 days of Paris followed by Beijing. Took the afternoon TGV to Paris to spend two nights and days visiting V who has been living there since April. A great time going for dinner with her in les Marais, walking around together and then by myself, and doing Paris both by day and night before heading off to Charles de Gaulle airport to meet up with my mum, aunt and 3 cousins for a flight to Beijing!! This was the most exotic and exiting trip of the year, although the one to Portugal bestows as many memories. Beijing was just great!! The people nice, the food mostly good, the possibility to see all those things I'd only read about before thrilling - the closest trip to a real world trip that I have made in years.
And do you think this scared me off a future life as a globetrotter? well, except for the huge cockroach we saw in the last evening which scared me off going back for a swim in the hotel's pool although it was the last night so not possible anyway, the answer is a clear big NO! If anything I long even more to pick up my bags and leave!!! Seeing a little bit more of the world only increased my hunger - so the world, watch out, because soon I'll come for real :)) In the meantime I'll continue to enjoy a few more shorter trips to make me survive some more months of work. Next stop Barca to see my dear A, and then a romantic weekend in Budapest.
Although to enable my dream to come true I should probably stop doing all these shorter trips and start saving for the big thing.... soon soon soon...
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
today's recipe
Ingredients:
7 pieces of different kinds of salmon sushi
4 pieces of 'gras' tuna sushi - really yummy
4 pieces of fried eel sushi - surprisingly good
1 cup of miso soup
a good friend
1 small ice cream including 3 flavours: passion fruit, pineapple & basil, milk & lime & coconut - miam miam
= One lovely lunch. SO nice that Mikado has opened again!!!
7 pieces of different kinds of salmon sushi
4 pieces of 'gras' tuna sushi - really yummy
4 pieces of fried eel sushi - surprisingly good
1 cup of miso soup
a good friend
1 small ice cream including 3 flavours: passion fruit, pineapple & basil, milk & lime & coconut - miam miam
= One lovely lunch. SO nice that Mikado has opened again!!!
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Tell me why I don't like Mondays....
Should I start thinking about perhaps changing my job, changing careers, getting something more meaningful, something more motivating, something which does not involve me searching the web for anything interesting to waste my time on in the mornings as I don't have the motivation to start working. Should I start thinking about taking this step when my creativity this morning (low as it was at the start of the day) had me turn the well-known song "Tell me why I don't like Mondays" by Bob Geldorf and the Boomtown Rats, also song by Jon Bon Jovi, into a "Tell me why I don't like Mondays, tell me why I don't like Tuesday, tell me why I don't like Thursday, tell me why I do like Fridays, tell me why I do like weekends, tell me why I do like vacation...."? My boyfriend, overhearing this beautiful morning creation, somehow linked this song to my job... ;)
On another note, googling a song (or actually using ethicle since someone told me that just using this search engine brings profit to NGOs) sometimes give you a surprise as was the case with this song - I had no idea that it was about a 16-year old girl who used her new rifle (she had just received it from her dad for her birthday or something - this can only be the US!!) to shoot at her school, hurting several kids and killing 2 adults. Her comment when asked why she did it was that she didn't like Mondays....
Don't worry though - I'm far off from such a state of mind.
On another note, googling a song (or actually using ethicle since someone told me that just using this search engine brings profit to NGOs) sometimes give you a surprise as was the case with this song - I had no idea that it was about a 16-year old girl who used her new rifle (she had just received it from her dad for her birthday or something - this can only be the US!!) to shoot at her school, hurting several kids and killing 2 adults. Her comment when asked why she did it was that she didn't like Mondays....
Don't worry though - I'm far off from such a state of mind.
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